The "Smiling Sun"

The “Smiling Sun” logo was created in April 1975 in Aarhus, Denmark within a local group against nuclear power. Almost overnight it became the common logo for OOA (Organisationen til Oplysning om Atomkraft), which was organising the Danish campaign against nuclear power. The Logo features a figurative smiling sun surrounded by the wording NUCLEAR POWER? NO THANKS, or the similar message in any other language, in colours yellow, red and black. The intention behind the design was to create a friendly and open-minded logo expressing a polite “no thanks” in response to the question raised. It is a logo indicating communication by dialogue.

Within a few years and over time the logo was translated from Danish into some 50 other national and regional languages and it rapidly became the most common symbol in the anti-nuclear power movement worldwide. The Smiling Sun also became a very important and decentralised fundraising tool, sold as badges, stickers, T-shirts, etc. In 1978 revenues from sales of the Smiling Sun were used to initiate, and for about 10 years partly finance, the work of WISE (World Information Service on Energy). The OOA is aware of the production of some 50 million Smiling Sun items for sale, not to mention the countless number of Smiling Suns that have appeared in leaflets, magazines, newspapers, media programmes, websites, etc.

In 1977 the OOA registered the Logo as a trademark in Denmark and a number of other countries. Effective from 13th December 2004, the Logo has been registered as EU Community Trademark no. 004193091 and as such is protected in all member countries of the European Union. Registration in Switzerland and in the US has become effective from 8th September 2008 (Madrid Protocol No. 978602). The trademark protection serves the purpose of securing the integrity and independence of the Logo,to reserve profits from sale and its utilisation to the anti-nuclear power movement worldwide and to enable action to be taken against exploitation and alteration of the Logo by commercial interests, against counter use by pro-nuclear power campaigns and against political parties attempting to take possession of the Logo. More information available on the Foundations website www.smilingsun.org.

Since 1st April 2002 all copyrights and trade mark rights to the Logo have been held by “OOA Fonden”, a foundation set up by the OOA specifically for this purpose. Anti-nuclear power and safe energy groups are invited, against a symbolic annual fee, to obtain agreements giving them full rights to utilise the Smiling Sun in their campaigns. Companies may apply for a licence agreement in order to produce and sell products featuring the Smiling Sun. Income from licence fees are by OOA Fonden forwarded to regional or international information services serving the antinuclear movement. News media are welcome to receive a mastercopy of the Logo for free use as illustration along with articles on nuclear power and energy in general.